I've noticed many big families here. Brianna and I saw a family with 8 kids a couple of times. Many of the big families are Jewish. I love seeing the tiniest little boys wearing their yarmulkes and their tallit katans.

A couple of nights ago we attended a Right to Life dinner where Michael Medved told this story:

A friend of his--a rabbi with whom Medved's wife studies--was traveling with his wife and 16 children (yes, that's what I said, and they now have two more). To help keep track of everyone, the kids were dressed in similar clothes--the girls in dresses, the boys with yarlmukes on their heads.

So there they were, making their way through an airport in Frankfurt, when an older woman--a German woman--stopped the rabbi.

"Are all these children yours?" she asked incredulously.

"My wife assures me they are," he replied.

Apparently she was not amused. "Don't you know," she said, "about the world's overpopulation problem? And yet you have so many? How many more children do you want to have?"

Hannah loves to play Rummikub. She loves any excuse to hang out with her daddy. He "helps" her play.

We used to have 20+ people over every Saturday for Family Game Night. With a family as big as ours, 20 is an easy number to hit. When it's just us, Paul's sisters (his oldest sister and her husband have 5, almost 6, kids), and his parents, we're already at 13. Add in my sister and her family, Michaela, Evan, and our cousin and her daughter, and friends that anyone brings over and we could be pushing 30. That's in Dallas. If we had 30 people here, or 50 like on holidays, I can't even imagine. When we walk at night we often see people gathered on the stoops outside of their apartments. The other night I saw about 20 people outside their apartment. The kids were skating and bouncing a ball. The grown-ups were chatting or playing dominoes. The domino table was in the street, between 2 parked cars. You never know what you're going to see up here.

We were walking home today and I saw these guys pushing this furniture for several blocks. Had to blog it so you wouldn't miss out. On weekdays in Manhattan I've seen caterers pushing giant shelves/carts full of food down the sidewalk. Parking is such a hassle. I guess it's just easier to push things for several blocks on carts and furniture dollies than to load, drive, park, and unload.

The weather has been so nice that we've been having school on the terrace. I put the hammock out there and we sit and rock and read and do math. Handwriting's a bit more challenging, but we can make it be still long enough to get it done.

Shut the Box is a game that the Goodalls introduced to us. It's a fun little math game if anyone's interested.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

We were waiting on a train the other day and there was a lady singing folk music on our platform. She was the best I've heard so far. She sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and I cried. About 50 people clapped when she finished that song. An older Hispanic guy gave her 2 thumbs up and $5. Hannah gave her a dollar.

There's always a show going on somewhere around here. Every weekend that we've gone to Manhattan we've seen acrobatic/dancing street performers. We're starting to get why people love NY.

Then there's the woman at the coffee shop. I say "Coffee Shop" but the sign said "Starbucks." It wasn't a corporate owned Starbucks, but a licensed store that had higher prices, doesn't know how to make what I want, and sells yogurt with high fructose corn syrup. Yes, Fernando, I know that HFCS is a natural product that has never been proven to kill mice.

So this woman was talking so loudly that everyone could hear her. She was telling the man across the table from her about her relationship issues. I have to phrase things carefully so that I don't get flagged here. She repeatedly used the "F" bomb, but appropriately, if that's possible. She talked about how she has experience, but doesn't want to get any more experience in a car. And she's not 24 any more. So she doesn't wear a th0ng all the time. If I had known this was a licensed Starbucks, we wouldn't have gone in there and been subjected to all this. I gave her my best "I am appalled at your loud conversation" look, but she never looked around to see who she was torturing. Shocking. I did not give her a dollar.

And something else happened that I want to be documented. I was right about directions (and Paul was wrong) TWICE in one day. If it's ever happened even once before, I don't remember it. Paul led us around Florence and Rome like he was a native. He always seems to know where he is and how to get where he wants to go. Ask poor Brianna, I don't know where I am and I often ride on trains only to get off 2 stops down so I can get on a train to go the opposite direction. But yesterday I was right. It helps that I have good eyesight and I can actually read the street signs. I was right. Neener neener neener.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Many of you are curious about my mysterious baby posts on facebook. I will fill you in on what's happening. A couple of weeks ago, while we were in DC, Brenda called and told me she is working with a lady who is due in October and wants to place the baby for adoption. Let me take this opportunity to tell you about my favorite pc adoption terms. Babies are PLACED for adoption, not "given up." The term "placed" implies that great care was given to insure that the baby would be "placed" in its forever family. Moms who give birth and choose not to place their children for adoption "PARENT" them, they do not "keep" them. Children are not possessions to be "kept." God loans them to us and expects us to parent them and teach them His truth. And don't ask adoptive parents if they have children of their own. I answer that question with "just Hannah so far." So now you know the pc adoption terms I am picky about. I don't get mad at folks for using terms I wouldn't use. But I answer questions ways that communicate to Hannah, that God placed her in our family and we are thankful every day that He did.

Enough of that. So Brenda (the lady who runs the adoption agency who connected us with Hannah) is working with this lady and Brenda thinks that this baby is meant to be a Rynerson. He will be born in Texas in October. The birthmom wants us to be there to care for him after the delivery, which will be cesarean. The birthmom wants him to be taken care of and loved immediately by his forever family. We are cautiously excited about all this. I know that this is a difficult decision and that moms often change their minds after the delivery, which they have every right to do.

We will be in Texas mid October. If every thing goes as expected, we will be showing off a son a few days later. There will be a sip and see or something so that you can come see him for yourself. By then he should have a name. We are bouncing lots of names around.

I have no experience parenting an infant. I was telling my sister-in-law that I don't know what infants really NEED and what the MAN is just trying to sell me. The MAN sure does a god job trying to convince us our kid will be neglected and probably a drain on society if we don't get him all sorts of shiny stuff though. Makes me nervous. So I welcome your feedback and suggestions. What does an infant NEED? Make sure it will fit in my apartment. Otherwise we will just visit it in the gigantic Toys R Us!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

We went to the Bronx Zoo. A tour guide we had said it's the largest zoo in the world. That's a lie. I think I need to check snopes for lots of things these tour guides say. Tours are still fun though. Anyway, the Bronx Zoo is big and fun.

The polar bear was napping.

Giraffes look funny. Don't they?

The peacocks just wander around the whole zoo. This was a baby peacock that visited with us for a while.

The butterfly exhibit is HUGE! These funny pics were taken near there. Fun!

We all rode the insect carousel. Very cool.

This great park is just outside the Bronx Zoo.

May I suggest that you do NOT try to get to Brooklyn from the Bronx during rush hour. The fact that there were signal malfunctions in lower Manhattan only made things worse. Tons of people were crammed into the 5 train. Then they kicked us all off and told us to get on a different train. So we crammed even more folks on the 4 train. Brianna blocked some folks so Hannah and I could get on. Way to go B! So all of us were crammed into the 4 train, waiting and waiting to go. And it was hot. I saw a 6 train come and go. I told B that we were taking the next train out - I didn't care what it was. A 6 came a couple of minutes later. Brianna shoved people out of the way - people who had a place to stand and something to hold onto wouldn't move - and we jumped on that 6. Finally, air conditioning.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Yes, there is a bathroom. This is actually a BIG bathroom by NYC standards. Again, we're lucky, but I prefer to say "blessed." I added that over-the-john shelf thing. Wow, does it make a difference. And I got a plastic drawer unit and stuck it under the sink. Heather Dy has lots of those. Very useful.